Seto's Soul
by Ava Drake
Summary: A Shounen ai fanfic between Seto and my OC Avery Drake. Drama ensues...   Really Avery  and I  are just trying to get through to Seto's inner soul and mind. With surprising results...
1. The Beginning

Kayla – So I've been doing some thinking and decided to clean up this story.  
>Ava- So she's going to write up a <em>beginning <em>this time.  
>Kayla- It had a beginning. It just wasn't <em>the<em> beginning.  
>Ava- Anyway this is her new beginning.<br>Kayla – The details are a bit vague, but considering I've only seen the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh I preferred to keep it vague rather than get it wrong.  
>Ava- Enjoy!<p>

He wasn't sure when it began. Was it when they first saw each other, when he started high school? Was it on Pegasus' island? The Battle City Tournament?  
>He wasn't sure how it began either. Was it his smile? That contagious laugh he had? Or something else?<br>All he knew was that one day he found himself longing to be the one who made him laugh. He hadn't understood it at first. He wondered why he couldn't get him out of his head. Was it obsession over his enemy? The fact that Avery had stood against him and won? But so had Yugi. And the feeling he had for Avery wasn't hostile, as far he could tell. It had taken him a while to place it. And then when he realised what it was, he denied it. But in his heart he knew it was true. It had taken him months to come to terms with it. It was just the absurdity of it. He, Seto Kaiba, had fallen for someone.


	2. The Question

Seto had wrestled with his emotions, hoping if he ignored them they'd go away. But it didn't work. If anything the opposite happened. He began focussing on Avery even more. It was even worse when they were in school together. He watched from a distance as he played Duel Monsters and laughed with his friends. After a while he couldn't stand it anymore. He devised a way to get Avery alone so he could ask him out. He knew it was risky; it could damage his reputation, but he hoped that after he was rejected his emotions would get a handle on themselves. He had not expected that Avery would say yes.

He knew that Avery usually hung back after school. He normally went to the library and did his homework there. So after school Seto made his way to the library. He spotted Avery waving goodbye to Yugi. Seto waited and watched as Avery turned and went into the library. Seto followed him. Avery picked out a table. Seto paused. He felt his courage slipping. He chided himself. Just get it over with, he thought to himself. He walked up to Avery's table. Avery glanced up in surprise.  
>"Hi Seto," he said with a frown. "If you want to duel, I'm sorta-"<br>"It's not about that," Seto cut in.  
>"Oh…okay then, umm, sit down." He replied confused and gestured to the chair opposite him.<br>Seto sat down. He finally understood what people meant when they said that their heart was in their throat. It was a very adequate description of what he felt at that moment. Avery wrote down a few more things then looked up, closing his book.  
>"So…what's this about?" he asked after a moment.<br>_Too late to turn back now, _Seto thought.  
>"I was…wondering…if you'd like to go out sometime."<br>Avery grinned. "Like on a date?" he teased.  
>Seto's eyes hardened. "Fine. It doesn't matter." He began to rise. Avery quickly reached over and grabbed his arm.<br>"No. Wait!" Seto hesitated, halfway between sitting and standing. Avery blushed. "I'd...uh…love to go out with you sometime." He said sheepishly, releasing Seto's arm. Seto looked at Avery's face, trying to spot signs of deception. He found none. Seto hadn't accounted for this. He had in no way assumed that Avery would even think about accepting his invitation. He became slightly distressed.  
>He bit back the urge to ask him if he was serious.<br>"Okay then." He said. 'When are you free?"  
>"Umm…How about seven on Friday?" Avery responded with a grin.<br>Seto nodded.  
>"Okay then." Avery said and nodded back. "Oh," he added slightly worried. He opened his book and tore off a corner off his page, then scribbled down a number. "My mobile number," he said, almost shyly. "In case…well I don't know." Seto took the paper.<br>"All right," Seto said. "See you Friday." Then he walked off, feeling more confused and conflicted than he had ever felt before. It wasn't till he arrived home that he realised he didn't know where Avery lived, or what they were going to do. He was suddenly extremely glad that Avery was intelligent enough to give him his phone number.


	3. The Call

He waited a day before calling him up. He didn't want to seem as if he had spent his whole day thinking about the date, even though he had. It had been the only thing he could think of. He didn't know how he was going to last the next three days. He finally deemed the time period long enough to call. He keyed in the numbers, but his hand hesitated over the call button. What if it had been a joke? What if he calls to find that Avery purposely gave him the wrong number? Or if he rings and finds out that Avery was only joking? He didn't think he could take that. He lowered his hand and thought it over. Avery had seemed eager to go out with him, even though they were practically enemies. But then again, Seto had been eager to go out with Avery. He sighed. He had a choice. He could call Avery and possibly be ridiculed or just forget about him, which had already proved to be nearly impossible. He made a split second decision. He pressed call.

He held the phone to his ear, hoping against reason that Avery wouldn't pick up just to mock him.  
>It rang a few times. Seto felt his hope's drop. It was just a joke. Avery wouldn't –<br>Suddenly it was answered.  
>"Hello?" asked a cheerful voice.<br>"Um. Hello." Seto said.  
>"Oh. Seto. Hey. I was just thinking…Um, did you want something?"<br>Seto's heart skipped a beat. 'I was just thinking', he thought. Did that mean Avery was thinking about him? His mouth felt dry.  
>"Yeah…" he took a second to regain his composure. "I need your address."<br>Avery laughed. "Oh yeah. Right. Just a sec. Do you have a pen?"  
>Seto nodded, then realised that Avery couldn't see him. "Yes."<br>Avery gave him the address. Seto smirked as he realised they lived half an hour away from each other.  
>"Was there anything else?" Avery asked after he had repeated the address three times.<br>"Well, actually, I wanted to know what we were going to do." Seto said awkwardly. He had tried to figure out a plan, but he didn't know Avery well enough to pick a destination.  
>"You don't know?" Avery asked, sounding surprised. "Isn't it usually the person who asks the other one out who chooses what to do?"<br>I've never been on a date before, Seto wanted to snap back. "I thought I should ask you," he responded instead.  
>"Oh, well…I don't know. What do you want to do?"<br>Seto scowled to himself. If he knew that he wouldn't have asked. "I don't have any preferences." He said, still calm.  
>"Well, I guess we could have dinner somewhere. That seems simple enough. Somewhere nice…but not formal. I don't have many formal clothes. And I'm <em>not<em> wearing a tux." He laughed again. "Can you find somewhere like that?"  
>"I'll try." Seto promised.<br>"Good Luck." Avery said. "See ya." And then he hung up.  
>Seto leaned against a wall, sighing. Who knew organising a date could be so stressful, he wondered. Luckily he knew just the place.<p> 


	4. The Date  Part One

Seto turned up to Avery's house. He had decided against wearing anything fancy. Instead he wore his usual attire, coat and all. He was glad he had, because Avery answered the door wearing his normal clothes as well. He tried not to think about what would've happened if he hadn't. Avery smiled at him.  
>"Hey Seto," he said with another smile. Seto gave him a stiff smile and wondered how one person could laugh so much.<br>"Ready?" he asked.  
>"Sure." He turned and yelled out. "I'm going now Uncle!"<br>A man walked out from another room. "You don't have to yell," he said calmly. "Have fun."  
>Avery smiled then gestured for Seto to leave. Seto took a step back and Avery walked out.<br>"So, where are we going?" Avery asked as he walked to the road, alongside Seto.  
>"There's a place not far from here." He shrugged. "You wanted somewhere casual."<br>"I think I know the place." Avery replied. They walked along in an awkward silence.  
>"Can I-"Seto began at the same time that Avery said, "Why did-"<br>They stopped walking and looked each other.  
>"You first," Seto said, and they started walking again.<br>"I…Why did you ask me out? I've been trying to figure it out. It just doesn't make any sense."  
>Seto was silent, trying to figure out an answer, one that didn't sound desperate. He couldn't come up with one.<br>"It doesn't matter." Avery said after a while. "So what did you want to ask me?"  
>Seto looked at him. "Why did you accept?" he asked curiously.<br>Avery frowned. "Maybe it's because I'm lonely." Then he gave Seto a playful smile and added, "Maybe it's because you're cute."  
>Seto hesitated. "Really?" he asked before he could stop himself.<br>Avery grinned at him. "Maybe."  
>Seto looked at him, stunned. Avery was full of surprises.<br>"Come on, let's go have some dinner," Avery said after a moment and walked ahead. Seto nodded and realised Avery had already started walking again. He caught up just as Avery passed through the doors. He walked towards a free table and sat down. Seto joined him and picked up a menu. Avery copied him and looked down the menu. Avery glanced over it then put it down. Seto gave him a questioning glance. Avery smiled back.  
>"I always get the same thing." He explained. "No point looking really."<br>Seto nodded back. He looked back to his menu and decided steak was probably the best way to go.  
>A waiter noticed them and came over.<br>"Umm, a medium rare rib eye steak with diane sauce and a side of chips." Avery said immediately.  
>Seto paused. "Same for me." He said.<br>"Drinks?" the waiter asked.  
>"Coke for me, please." Avery replied.<br>"Water." Seto said.  
>The waiter repeated their order then walked off. Avery gave Seto a sheepish grin.<br>"Do you like steak?" he asked.  
>"Yes," he replied confused.<br>"It's just I don't want to force you to eat something you don't want."  
>Seto frowned, then realisation dawned on him. "Oh, no," he said hurriedly. "I was going to get steak anyway. I thought it'd be easier to get what you're getting. Our orders were practically identical anyway."<br>Avery gave him a suspicious glance, but let it go.  
>"Do you come here often," he asked casually.<br>"Not really," Seto replied thoughtfully. "You?"  
>Avery shook his head. "Nope."<br>They were silent again, but this time it wasn't awkward. They were quiet until the drinks arrived.  
>Seto took his water. Avery gave him a half-smile.<br>"Is something wrong?" Seto asked.  
>"I've never met someone who ordered water before." Avery said. "Wine, beer or soft drink. Maybe Orange Juice. Never water."<br>"Is that a problem?" Seto asked.  
>"Nah. Just a curiosity."<br>Seto frowned. He realised that Avery was 'small talking'. Seto had never felt the need to make small talk, but then again it was a date and maybe that was expected. He tried to think of something to say. Luckily Avery seemed to be fluent in small talk.  
>"How's your brother?" he asked offhand.<br>Seto was startled. He had forgotten that Avery had met Mokuba…several times, if he remembered correctly.  
>"He's fine," Seto informed him.<br>"That's good." Avery said.  
>There was another pause. Seto opened his mouth to fill in the gap, but luckily the food arrived. Avery grinned at his plate.<br>"Yum," he said.


End file.
